love is...

love is not synonymous with pain...
but therein lies the paradox
the intricate pattern of emotions
that lies within one big word...

vulnerability...

not so big after all
but then again not so small
for there lies the secret...
ah yes...

the thing that brings you the most joy
bears the potential of bringing you the most pain...
haven't we heard time and time again
love hurts?...

(a gross miscalculation)

but nevertheless a fair explanation of man's quest for pain...
in which he finds everything
but that which he seeks...

for love is joy...
love is life...
love is God...
love is selfless...

and in selflessness there is no pain...
only death to everything within
except the power to give...

which could explain our pain...
our anger...
our response...
to what we feel are violated rights...

(why wasn't my love returned?)...

our self pity...
our search for an excuse...
for the reasons why...

(maybe it was me...)

our depression...
the aftermath
the exhaustion of the inward fight...

(i'm too tired to care anymore)...

our hopelessness
the rebellion...
the refusal to regain strength...

(why should this time be different?)...

but we live...
and in spite of ourselves, we learn...
we stumble...
we fall...

we are propelled onward
until we grow into the knowledge
that the only painful thing about love
is our misplaced expectations...

for love is soft...
and warm...
love is tough and strong...
love is tender and enduring...

love is...
love is...

love just is...
but love is not

synonymous with pain...